home again, home again, jiggity jig

Bill was away on a business trip last week so I decided it was a good time to make the voyage back to BR to visit friends and family. I was more than a bit apprehensive about making the trip solo, my first time driving the 4 hour journey alone. What if Caroline started screaming halfway through the trip? What if she threw up? How would I manage the dog, the baby, and myself when attempting to stop for a bathroom break? Naturally, I turned to Amazon in search of unnecessary-yet-highly-alluring gadgets to make the trip easier. At the advice of several TX moms making the trip home to LA regularly, I bought a portable dvd player that straps to the headrest so she could watch movies. This also meant that we had to turn her carseat around to face forward- a double win! She could see out the window! She could watch kid-addicting Disney movies! With our trip planned to coincided with naptime, it seemed like an ace in the hole.

I spent the better part of 2 days packing up all the gear necessary for a one week trip home...my clothes, her clothes, dog stuff, bottles, baby food, 3 boxes of clothes to go in storage at Nana's house. I had high expectations that I could somehow neatly and precisely arrange everything in the car to look something like this:

expectation

And yet somehow we always end up looking more like this:

reality

This makes me question the sanity of our decision to go to the beach this summer. Packing all this, PLUS a portable crib and stroller and wagon and floaties and rafts and beach gear? Lord help us, we'll need a u-haul for the 8 hour trip. But I'm happy to report the trip there and back was a success, thanks to the miracles of modern technology. I had hoped she would nap for at least some of the trip, but that was not happening. Luckily she was pretty happy to watch her movies and only fussed a bit here and there. We stopped at the TX and LA welcome centers to take a break and eat lunch and stretch our legs. I now have the bathroom-and-lunch routine down pat: ask a nice elderly woman at a picnic table to watch Winnie (who's tied to a post). Ask a nice younger woman in the bathroom to hold Caroline while I use the restroom. Use the bumpo at a picnic table for an impromptu high chair. Pack lunch items that can be devoured in 10 minutes or less (that's about as long as she can tolerate the bumpo). Live and learn and voyage on!

Anywho, it was a nice visit and we got to see and spend time with everyone on our list. Among the highlights:

We spent one afternoon at the neighborhood park with Nana. The swings were a big hit, as was trying her first sip of Diet Coke and watching the little boys baseball practice. Caroline also confiscated some random little girl's tricycle...as soon as the girl wandered off to the play equipment Caroline climbed aboard and promptly started punching all the buttons on the bike. The little girl was not thrilled about sharing her trike and started crying, so we attempted to keep Caroline off it but resistance was futile. She made a beeline for it every time we put her down.

bike stealer

Nana is always looking for forbidden foods
to sneak to the baby...

heeeeey boys! such a flirt.

There was a delightful Louisiana thunderstorm Wednesday morning, which meant forgoing our usual jog and instead spending the morning inside. Growing weary of chasing Caroline around Nana's minimally-childproofed house, I finally caved and turned on Sesame Street for a moment of relief. She was fascinated, since she never gets to watch much tv at home. She plopped herself down in her big teddy bear and enjoyed the show.

the ultimate tv viewing chair

On Wednesday afternoon my cousin Maggie babysat while I ran a few errands. They visited MaMa at her home and Caroline had a blast playing with her dog Honey. Poor thing, since her own dog gives her the cold shoulder all the time she's always ecstatic to encounter a dog who's happy to see her.

She was equally delighted to see Aunt Emmy's service dog Kline when we visited her workplace on Thursday. She made the rounds and charmed all of Emmy's coworkers, but the highlight of the visit was definitely getting covered in dog kisses.

Unfortunately our trip was not all fun and games...we also made a visit to her pediatric GI to discuss the return of her symptoms. Since our last visit in February, she had only gained half a pound in 10 weeks. (Compare that to last time, when she was doing well, she had gained 2 pounds in 6 weeks.) The doctor wants to increase the dosage on all her meds, since they were so effective in the beginning. If that doesn't help, he wants to see us again in May so he can admit her to the hospital for some additional testing to determine if surgery will be the best option to help her. At this time we believe that her problems are all caused by the hiatal hernia, the acid reflux, and the gastroparesis, but we don't know how much discomfort comes from each. He needs additional information before he can decide if surgery will help her, so he's ordering a gastric emptying scan test (which monitors how fast or slowly her stomach empties) and a PH probe (which monitors the frequency and intensity of her reflux). We will do the gastric scan on May 20 in the morning, and then start the PH probe in the afternoon. She'll have to stay in the hospital overnight which I'm definitely not looking forward to. How on earth am I going to keep this highly mobile energetic baby confined and entertained in a hospital room? I'm calling for reinforcements and inviting anyone who wants to visit to stop by Our Lady of the Lake and take a turn at 'pass the baby'...so far I've enlisted my mom and cousin Maggie, and I'm sure MaMa and Aunty Em will make an appearance. Keep those prayers coming! I know these tests won't be easy but hopefully we will get some good information out of them and figure out how to make sweet Caroline feel better.

the more things change, the more they stay the same

The more things change....

Last weekend we took a quick trip up to the hill country to get some photos of Caroline in the beautiful bluebonnets. Our trip last spring when Caroline was only about 6 weeks old was fun and all the wildflowers were so gorgeous, we decided to do it again this year. What a difference a year makes! Last year she was so teeny tiny, no bigger than a sack of flour perched in my arms in the flowers.

This year we had a full-blown active toddler prancing through the fields of bluebonnets. She was such a good sport and thoroughly enjoyed her botanical adventures, from tasting the flowers (of course) to standing and posing politely. 

I took a ton of good photos; if you want to see more check out our family shutterfly site.

http://erenton.shutterfly.com/pictures/195

It has been such a joy watching her 'bloom' over the course of the last year. She is learning and growing and changing every single day and I'm so thankful that I've been able to spend my days watching her personality unfold. I've noticed that she is a fast learner. I only have to show her something once or twice and she picks up pretty quickly. She can now point to/identify several body parts, including head, tongue, nose, fingers, belly, and feet. We flip through her family photo album and she can correctly say/identify mama, dada, nana, MaMa, and Winnie (which she pronounces more like nee-nee) We've also been practicing a little bit of sign language here and there, and I know if I were to put more concentrated effort into it she would probably be an avid signer. But since her language skills are progressing so nicely I haven't really pursued it much.

Her beaming smile and belly laughs pretty much make life worth living. Is there anything better than hearing a baby laugh?? I think not.

Of course, now that we're in full blown toddlerhood that sweet smile can turn into a hissy fit faster than you can say 'terrible twos'. She gets frustrated that she doesn't have words for everything yet, so there's quite a bit of pointing and screeching/yelling going on. And if she has something or does something she's not supposed to and I redirect her, she's likely to stomp her feet, arch her back, flop around like a fish out of water and screech. I'm reading The Happiest Toddler on the Block right now to learn the appropriate communication and discipline techniques for this stage. My friends and I have been having a good chuckle over these, which I think every mother in the world can relate to. Pretty accurate indeed!

But it's not all tantrums and meltdowns over here...she is still her sweet little self most of the time. She cracks me up with the things she picks up on all by herself. Just this week she started handing me my bath towel after I turn off the water in the shower. She hears the water shut off and she stops whatever she's doing and toddles over to the tub, picks up my towel, and drags it over to the shower. Sweet girl. She is also MAJORLY into airplanes right now. Every single time she hears one fly by overhead she says her version of 'airplane' (which sounds more like ba-ba) and throws her her head back to look for it. I hope she gets really excited next month when we fly home for my brother's graduation!

The more they stay the same...

Unfortunately we are STILL dealing with unresolved digestive issues. She was doing really great for 2 months, in January and February. She was eating baby food, table food, and 24 oz of formula per day. We were making great progress and it seemed like we finally had 'fixed' her. But in March she suddenly stopped wanting to eat table food. Whereas she used to happily eat peas and sweet potatoes and cut up chicken, now she absolutely refuses. She throws food off her high chair before she's even taken one bite. After that the other symptoms returned as well...the decreased appetite, refusing bottles, only drinking 4 or 5 ounces at a time, crying in her sleep, waking up crying at 3 am, gagging on baby food. I met with her nutritionist, who assured me this pattern is not typical toddler eating behavior. The fact that she WAS eating table food, and then suddenly stopped, is a red flag that something's not right inside her. So we are headed back to the GI doctor next week. 

the only one who's excited about this non-eating situation
is Winnie. He has taken a permanent position at the side
of her high chair, waiting for the bountiful windfall.

All in all, I guess it's par for the course. Two steps forward, one step back. As long as we keep pushing onwards I'm hopeful that one day her digestive problems will be fixed and it'll be nothing but blue skies and bluebonnets in our future!

Easter

Now that Caroline is a year old I'm frequently comparing 'this year' to 'last year.' What were we doing at this time last year? Last Easter itself was a disaster...she was in the midst of her unknown gastrointestinal issues and she pretty much cried all day. I was so disappointed but we made up for it by celebrating the following weekend, when she was in a much better disposition.

I'm happy to report that this Easter was much more pleasant! In the morning we sorted through the goodies the Easter bunny had left in her basket. She happily plucked each item out and inspected it, but her favorite item by far was the small chocolate bunny. She had never had chocolate before! We only let her eat a little but I suspect she would have devoured the whole thing if we'd let her! 

Afterwards we headed out to the yard in an attempt to collect Easter eggs. Ha! This was a lesson in futility. Who has any interest in brightly colored plastic eggs when there's an entire yard full of sticks and twigs and leaves and grass awaiting??

She collected not a single egg, despite her daddy trying to show her what to do. She did however thoroughly inspect the wisteria, the ferns, a pile of leaves, blades of grass, etc. and promptly attempted to shove each respective item into her mouth. After 10 minutes of chasing her around the yard removing potential-choking-hazards from her grasp, we finally gave up and headed back inside. Perhaps we'll need to do a little easter egg hunt training throughout the upcoming year. She'll wake up one random morning in July and I'll be all excited saying the Easter bunny came and encourage her to pick up the eggs. Then again, I don't want her to be the only kid in preschool insisting that the Easter bunny makes several visits per year to our house....I forsee a lot of phone calls from confused classmates' parents...

"easter bunny? no no, she meant Pugs Bunny is
always hopping around at our house."

In the afternoon we headed over to Mandeville for a Renton family get-together with a crawfish boil feast! Sorry, no pictures of the mudbugs because we were too busy devouring them. They were absolutely perfect; kudos to Mr. Bill for his excellent boil job! Caroline didn't have any crawfish but she had a great time running around all her relatives and playing with Aunt Donna and Uncle Ace's dog Caesar. Unlike Winnie, Caesar didn't seem to mind having her around so I know she was thrilled to pet him.

I certainly am thankful that we were able to spend the holiday with our families, and that Caroline was feeling so much better in comparison to last year. Looking forward to next Easter when she'll have her running shoes on, ready to show off her egg hunting skills!

daddy days

We planned my mommy-cation to coincide with a trip back to Louisiana for Bill and Caroline and Winnie. When I left for Charleston on Tuesday, the 3 of them struck out at 4:30 am for a drive over to Bill's parents in Mandeville. I'm proud to say I had absolutely no worries about leaving the baby in daddy's hands for several days. He is such an involved, hands-on daddy that he knows her routines and nuances almost as well as I do. I know plenty of moms who would balk at the thought of leaving the kids with daddy for several days (jelly beans for dinner! teeth not brushed! Baby Einstein videos on repeat-play for hours at a time!) but I am not one of them. I kissed them goodbye and left them to their own devices.

They had a good time in Mandeville, and I was particularly glad that Caroline got to spend lots of time with Granny and PawPaw since they aren't able to stay at our house when they visit Houston. Bill said the 5 hour drive to Mandeville was no trouble at all, since Caroline slept most of the way. They made a pit stop in Baton Rouge at my mom's house to feed her breakfast. She walked in the house and made a beeline for her giant teddy bear! So happy to see her old friend!

On Wednesday they headed down to New Orleans to visit the aquarium. As much as she loves fish, this was a real treat for her. Houston has a great zoo with a nice fish selection, but no true free-standing aquarium. (I've heard there is supposedly something akin to an aquarium downtown but it's very small and a waste of money, so we haven't tried it.) The only problem was that she had NO interest in riding in her stroller...she wanted to run free among the fish!

The rest of the week was more low-key since she developed a cold and wasn't feeling 100%. They made several trips to the lakefront park, where both she and Winnie could run free to their hearts' content. (In Winnie's case, that meant he was able to freely run away from her.) In addition to unrestrained sprinting and strolling, she also thoroughly enjoyed swinging on the swings.

She had her first taste of beignets during her visit, and not surprisingly it was a hit!

Wish I had more pictures with Granny and PawPaw to post but I'm afraid Daddy must've had his hands full chasing sweet Petunia all around their house. He admitted to me after the trip was over how 'exhausted' he was at the end of each day with her. I guess being a stay-at-home dad for the week was just as tiring as a week at the office (although with an admittedly-cuter colleague!)

Mommy-cation

As much as I enjoy being Caroline's mom, it is definitely an exhausting job. They weren't kidding when they said 'motherhood is the hardest job you'll ever love.' Keeping up with her is like running a marathon 24/7, especially now that she's mobile and into everything. My friend Jackie and I were comparing war stories back in October, comparing up-all-night illnesses and teething episodes and we came to the conclusion that we were in definite need of a mommy-cation. We carefully plotted planned a girls' weekend getaway to Austin in November when it would be convenient for the daddies to watch the kids, but alas, that was the week Caroline started vomiting and we made 2 trips to the ER. So Jackie and another friend made the trip without me.

I was pining for a break this spring when I came across an ad in Southern Living for the Festival of Houses and Gardens in Charleston, SC. I daydreamed how nice it would be to get away for a few days and see all those beautiful historic homes and gardens with my mom, and just take a break from the non-stop motherhood responsibilities. After several weeks of discussions with Bill and my mom, we finally had all the arrangements worked out and the trip was set! In the spirit of 'the more the merrier' we decided to include my grandmother and my mom's best friend Susan.

Despite the unusually-chilly weather the trip was wonderful, a perfect little getaway. We spent 4 days shopping, eating good food, touring the homes and gardens, and just enjoying some downtime. We arrived in Charleston on Tuesday at 10:30 in the morning and had the rest of the day to explore downtown and partake in my mother's all-time favorite pastime, shopping. 

3 generations at the pineapple fountain at the waterfront park

Ft. Sumter. Didn't get a chance to tour but it looked impressive!

Mama at the pier at the waterfront park. A mandatory
stop so Mom could look for dolphins!

Great shopping on King St. Mom got so carried away in her
quest for shopping she ended up getting lost and dragged
poor Susan and Mama several miles on a bass-ackward
attempt to get back to the hotel. 

Beautiful little pocket park tucked into downtown

Cobblestone streets: fun to look at and take pictures of,
not so fun to walk on! 

Battery Park

the 2 Susan's, aka 'Susan Major' and 'Susan Minor'.
BFF since 7th grade. 

mini cannon for Susan Minor!

On Wednesday we struck out to explore the College of Charleston, one of the oldest colleges in the nation. On a whim I actually applied and was accepted to C of C my senior year in high school, so I was especially interested to see the campus. It was absolutely gorgeous...it has even more live oaks and azaleas than LSU, which I always thought was a beautiful campus. And all the buildings were all beautiful, stately, and well-maintained. 

Instead of walking across a stage to receive diplomas,
the C of C grads walk across this grass oval
in the dell! 

Hard to believe this beautiful building
is just the English department!

Of course we had to take a pic at the Phi Mu house!

And MaMa at the tri delt house!

The rest of Wednesday and Thursday were spent on the homes and garden tours. I took about a bajillion photos; they were all stunning and so beautiful. Unfortunately we weren't allowed to take pics inside the homes and gardens (some sort of pesky state law about photography on private property) but I was able to legally snag a few from the sidewalks!

It was a gorgeous time of the year for garden tours...lots of beautiful flowers in bloom. 

On our last day we toured Middleton Plantation, a gorgeous sprawling plantation estate claiming to have 'the oldest landscaped gardens in America.' The weather had warmed up and the sun was out so it was a perfect day for strolling and taking in all the natural beauty. It took an entire day to take it all in!

This little lamb was only 2 days old! So cute!

More lambs. Perfect timing for Easter!

in front of the azalea hill....THOUSANDS of blooming azaleas!

 

rice mill pond. The plantation produced rice and shipped it
down the Ashley River, adjacent to the plantation.

Terraced lawn that led up to the plantation house. Unfortunately
the yankees burned down the house right before the end of the
'war between the states.'

I had to check Mom's purse to make sure she didn't
pilfer any bricks from the burned down house. She considered it.

This live oak is over 1,000 years old!

One of the only items the damn yankees didn't destroy,
the garden nymph statuary.

I can't even calculate how many miles we walked, but I'm pleased to report that my 82-year-old grandmother kept up like a champ! It was quite a workout and we were all exhausted by the end of the day, but Mama trooped right along with no problems. I can only hope that I'm in as good shape when I'm 82!

how we felt at the end of each day!